


Blood Flows Through

by ParadiseAvenger



Category: DmC: Devil May Cry
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/M, Naked Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 12:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3610641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadiseAvenger/pseuds/ParadiseAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kat realized now that he could heal, but he wasn’t invincible or invulnerable. Dante could be broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blood Flows Through

I was originally going to title this story, “This Little Girl” after the song of the same name by Cady Groves. (It’s a really great song and if you haven’t heard it, you need to.) But the longer I worked on this, the less that title fit. Maybe I’ll use it for something else… So, inspired by Cady Groves’ song, “This Little Girl.”

**X:Blood:X:Flows:X:Through:X**

Dante’s hands were warm and strong, broad enough to swallow hers, with long fingers that could make her scream and calluses from sending demons to the next world. The sight of his hands should have been frightening, knowing the strength behind them, but Kat was never afraid. Dante’s chest was a firm wall against her back, moving only when he breathed. He supported her elbow, straightened her arm into a better position, and then withdrew enough to give her space.

“Again,” he said against her ear.

Kat let the shiver of his closeness pass, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. Ivory jerked in her hands, but the kick was less than she had expected. Even a half an hour into practice, she didn’t feel any pain in her wrist or shoulder from firing. The bullet sank into the target, off-center, but still into it. Kat grinned and rocked her weight back against Dante.

He chuckled and let his hands slide from her shoulders. One arm circled around her waist and his palm pressed just beneath her breasts. “Again,” he said. “Twice in succession.” 

Kat did as he instructed, firing once and managing to stay on target, but the second bullet went wide. She heard it whistle as it whizzed right past the target. 

“You’ve got to breathe,” Dante counseled. “I don’t know what it is with people, but they always want to hold their breath when they’re shooting. Again, Kat. Breathe with me. Feel my chest.” His warm palm pressed her more flush against him, as if such a thing was possible.

Kat breathed with him for a moment, her heart fluttering as his breath ghosted past her ear.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he murmured and his thumb stroked an absent motion over her rib. 

Kat focused on the target, riddled with no small amount of holes that were scattered formlessly across it. She breathed evenly with Dante as she pulled the trigger. The kick was startling when she was so calm and relaxed, but the bullet finally inched closer to where she was aiming on the center of the target.

“Angle the sight a little lower than where you want it to hit,” Dante told her. “For now, the kick will make it go higher, until you get used to it.”

Kat did so, breathing out as she pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet sank precisely into the center of the target. “Yes,” Kat gasped.

Dante’s lips trailed over the back of her neck, raising little goose bumps of pleasure on her skin. “Good job,” he said, “but we’re not done yet.”

“We’re not?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Demons won’t be stopped by one bullet. Let’s see you hit the bull’s-eye again.” 

Kat anchored herself firmly, her feet planted, and she stared down Ivory’s sight. She pulled the trigger in three quick blasts, but only the first found its mark. 

“Don’t yank the trigger,” Dante said, “It’s not your dick.” (1)

Kat flushed and turned to look at him over her shoulder. “I wasn’t aware I had one.”

Dante’s eyes widened and then crinkled a little at the corners. He smiled, hand smoothing along her ribs. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve never tried to teach anyone how to use a gun before, but that’s just what I was thinking. Ivory is a lady. She doesn’t like to be treated like I do.”

Kat’s blush deepened. 

Dante’s warm hand crept a little further up her ribcage and cupped her breast. “Squeeze the trigger,” he said, “quickly but gently. Squeeze.” His hand mirrored what he said and Kat couldn’t keep her eyes on the target. Her nipple hardened, even with the layer of her bra between them, and a rush of heat swept between her thighs. “Again,” Dante said and didn’t do anything else distracting with his hand.

Kat inhaled deeply. The sights blurred in her vision shortly as she focused on the speckled target. She closed one eye so that everything slid into perspective and squeezed the trigger firmly. The bullet ripped from the chamber and tore through the center of the target. 

Dante kissed the shell of her ear, whispering, “Good. Now, just keep practicing.” He stepped away from her, taking his warmth and support with him. Kat stumbled without even moving, her eyes following him as he unholstered Ebony and took aim—one handed, no stance, as easy as could be—on the target beside hers. “What say we have a little competition?”

“It won’t be much of a competition,” Kat remarked as she adjusted her stance.

Dante grinned. “I know, but don’t worry, I won’t make you do anything too embarrassing when I win.”

Kat snorted, squared her shoulders, and fired. 

They practiced until lunchtime until Kat could hit the target nine times out of ten and with both eyes open. Magnanimously, Dante declared her the winner and ripped his target into little bits before she could see it. They piled back into Kat’s car and returned to the small apartment they shared in Limbo City. Since Limbo had spilled out into the real world and demons were now everywhere, there were very few safe places left. Kat would have been worried, but Dante was always with her. Even so, the whole point of them going shooting today was ‘just in case’—just in case they were separated, just in case Dante had to go, just in case she was ever alone when a demon appeared. 

Kat parked the car in the lot and they climbed out. Dante stretched dramatically, always complaining that her car was too small. 

Kat looked around. A few people were out on the streets, but they all hurried fearfully through the open spaces, looking over their shoulders before ducking into buildings that Kat had marked with sacred seals to keep low-level demons from entering. When high-level demons crept into the city, Dante went out to kill them. Limbo City wasn’t exactly safe, but it was safer than many other places. It seemed that more and more people arrived here daily, seeking the protection offered by the man in the red coat and the girl with the tattooed hands. In the time it had taken them to rebuild parts of the city, they had garnered a small following of people with skills similar to Kat’s. Though they were a long way from an army, or even something as clever as Vergil’s Order, it was a start.

“Come on,” Dante beckoned when Kat didn’t follow him inside. 

She locked up her car and bounded after him. He opened the door for her and they rode the elevator to their apartment on the highest floor in comfortable silence. Kat unlocked the door, checked the wards habitually, and then dropped her bag on the counter. Dante shrugged out of his coat and then swathed her in his arms.

“You did very well today,” he murmured, warm and sturdy against her. 

Kat ran her fingertips over his bare forearm. “Thank you.”

“So, I want you to keep this,” he said and then pulled Ivory from her holster.

Kat’s eyes widened. “What? No, I can’t take your gun—”

“I still have Ebony,” he assured her, “unless you want both.”

Kat shook her head in protest.

Dante curled her fingers over the cool metal of the pale gun. “Take her,” he insisted. “Please. I want you to be safe.”

“I am safe,” Kat told him. She wrest free of his grip so she could turn in his arms to face him. “I’m with you.”

Dante’s expression was haunted. He dipped his head to kiss her gently, his lips lingering over the scar that remained at the corner of her mouth. It seemed like so long ago that she had been kidnapped and tortured by Mundus, but she knew Dante still thought about it. She couldn’t deny that she sometimes did too. Kat tangled her fingers in his short hair and tugged his lips to meet hers more securely. She kissed him, hot and deep, until his worry melted away. His arms circled around her body, crushing her against him, as his tongue slipped into her mouth. Kat moaned softly.

“Keep Ivory,” Dante murmured into her mouth as his hands slipped beneath her shirt. 

She shivered as his fingers traced her lower back, caressing her sensitive skin. “Alright,” she whispered, “But you have to do something for me.”

His hand slipped between her legs, stroking her through her jeans. 

She mumbled in wordless bliss, clutching his shoulders. 

“I was planning to,” he said cheekily.

Kat made quick work of his jeans while he did the same to her shirt. Peeling both articles away, Dante paused to jerk his tank top over his head and Kat kicked off her boots. She was backed against the wall, Dante’s body caging her from the front and his arms around her from the sides. She hooked her thumbs in her shorts and shimmied them down with teasing slowness. Dante’s eyes were red at the centers as he watched her. Naked, Kat pressed against him. Her fingers closed over his hard member and gave a few quick jerks that made him hiss.

He pulled her hand away and lifted her into his arms. Kat kissed and nipped his neck as he carried her down the hall. They had originally bought this apartment because it had two bedrooms, but their time sleeping apart hadn’t lasted long. Dante practically dropped her on the bed, breaking the seal she had made over his throat with a pop. She giggled up at him, watching as the hickey slowly healed to nothing more than a red spot on his skin. She stretched out her arms, beckoning him closer, and Dante didn’t need to be asked twice. 

He knelt over her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His member bumped hot and hard against her. Kat gripped him in her hand, stroking him to a fullness that ached and made him weep at the tip. His fingers fit between her thighs and stroked her open. He slipped his fingers inside and moved them in a way that made her toes curl. She gasped in delight, almost able to say his name, and fumbled on the nightstand for a condom. She ripped it open with her teeth and rolled it onto him swiftly, stroking him a few more times for good measure.

Dante groaned. She hooked her legs around his hips, digging her heels into him, and he lined himself up with her opening. He slipped in slowly, giving her time to adjust to his girth and length no matter how many times they had been together. She gasped as he filled her, clutching his shoulders to anchor herself in the sea of heat and pleasure. He trembled as he waited. Kat touched his face, breathing shakily as she stretched to accommodate him. Dante pressed a kiss inside her wrist, his eyes focused on her like she was the only person in his world.

Finally, Kat nodded. Dante began to move. He pulled out to the tip and then pushed back in. Kat’s head tipped back and a cry of bliss escaped her lips. Dante leaned down to fold his moth over her throat. Her muscles clenched around him as his teeth and tongue lavished her most vulnerable place, but she trusted him. She clung to his back, nails raking, as he thrust into her. Her small body heaved beneath him, sweat streaking between her breasts as she panted for breath. 

Dante found her lips and kissed her deep. His tongue matched the pace he set below and she struggled to keep up with him. Her belly contracted, a tight heat that she only felt with him surging into the bundle of nerves that he brushed against with each thrust. The warmth gathered there, dancing around a fire, and Kat gasped his name. Dante squeezed her breast, thumb rasping over her nipple, and the fire roared higher. Her muscles clenched, rippling, as they fought for control over the pleasure that seared through her. 

Dante leaned down over her and his lips found the sensitive place behind her ear. His breath plumed against her ear and she shivered. Her arms, legs, and core all tightened around him. Then, she felt the fire in her belly tighten and surge beyond control. She fell over the precipice of bliss, panting his name as the orgasm ripped through her. Dante continued to thrust into her, letting the afterglow rage on and on as he moved. She groaned, tangled her fingers through his hair, and pulled him in for a kiss. 

As she kissed him, he came. His pace slowed to a stop, buried to the hilt within her, and she could feel him twitch as he emptied. She tightened her thighs around him, holding him inside as he softened. Dante pulled her to rest on her side so he could do the same without crushing her. She burrowed into his arms, warm and sated. For a moment, those three words that she wanted to say more badly than anything were right on her lips, but she swallowed them. Dante tucked her head beneath his chin, content, his heart beating in her ear. 

It was enough to be together, Kat thought, and they would always be together. Nothing could take them apart. She would just tell him some other time. Little did she know, that this could have been the very last moment she slept in Dante’s arms. 

…

It was early. Dante had been called out to take down a mid-sized demon that was hungrily trying to rip its way into an apartment complex around the corner. It had taken him a few minutes to slice it into little omelet-sized bits. Now, he stood behind Kat, yawning obnoxiously as she checked and rechecked the wards on the complex.

“You can go wait in the car,” Kat told him irritably, “and take a little nap.”

“I’m fine,” he said with another yawn. 

Dragged out of bed so early, he hadn’t remembered to put on his coat or gloves and his boots were still unlaced. Kat shook her head at his antics. She turned around in her kneeling position and tied his boots with a sigh as the wards popped and crackled. Dante stared down at her, his eyes soft. A cold wind blew through the complex and Kat shivered. Unlike Dante, she hadn’t gotten dressed at all and still wore her pajamas. Dante stepped closer so that the warmth of his body soaked into her. Kat added a little more to the wards, brushed off her hands, and straightened up.

“Okay, we’re all done—”

A horrific cry, part human and part animal, ripped through the early morning. Dante’s hand was already over his shoulder, closing around the hilt of his sword, when the beast slammed into him. Kat caught only the blur of a monstrous face, dripping fangs, and large wings. The gust of wind that followed in its wake threw her against the wall and her vision blurred. She slumped there, stunned, and watched in horror as Dante and the demon fought. 

As her vision came back into focus, she recognized the demon. It was Pazuzu. He was an ancient monster but less powerful than some of the beasts Dante had already killed. He had probably been in hiding while Mundus ruled the world. Now that the Demon King was dead, he must have thought it was a good time to get out on the town. What he lacked in power though, he made up for in ferocity and intelligence. Pazuzu had a lion’s head, vicious birdlike talons, and powerful wings. (2)

He caught Dante in those claws, ripping his side open, and flew them both high into the sky. Then, at the peak of his ascent, he simply let Dante go. Dante was many things, but he had not gained the ability to fly. His Demon Pull whipped out, snared Pazuzu, and Dante was propelled back to where the demon hovered. They battled, Dante’s sword shining in the morning sun. Pazuzu’s gaping maw flashed open and Kat heard Dante’s howl of agony as those teeth clamped around his torso. Dante’s ribs popped and cracked, breaking in under the pressure of Pazuzu’s jaws.

He rammed Ebony and Ivory into Pazuzu’s face, firing as rapidly as he could. With a shriek, Pazuzu released him and Dante plummeted. Kat saw him struggle to right himself, blue fire weaving off his shoulders and hands as he gusted towards the high roof of the apartment complex. Several windows shattered as Dante landed hard. Demon Pull whipped out again, caught Pazuzu’s wing, and ripped it free in a shower of blood. Kat was so busy looking up at the fight that she hadn’t realized lesser demons were closing in on her from all sides, drawn by the scent of Dante’s blood. 

Dante was apart from her and she didn’t have Ivory. All she had was her spray can for putting up wards. Desperately, she staggered to her feet and sprayed the lesser demons in their faces. Blinded and affected very slightly by the ingredients of the warding spray, they howled. Dante reached the edge of the roof and looked down at her. His legs coiled and he lunged towards her. Bullets picked off the demons with shocking accuracy, but several sank into the pavement. Kat had never seen Dante miss before. 

He was so close now and she stood still so he could grab her easier, but at the last moment, Pazuzu dropped from the sky and snared Dante in his talons. His blood splattered on the pavement. Dante met Kat’s eyes for an instant and then tossed Ivory to her. She fumbled to catch the weapon and immediately put her back to the wall. A few demons still milled around, sniffing at Dante’s and Pazuzu’s shed blood. Kat’s hands trembled as she watched them nervously. 

Above her, Dante and Pazuzu continued to fight, but she couldn’t watch. She had to keep herself alive until Dante could come for her. Luckily, the demons were so busy sniffing for the man who had killed so many of their brethren that they didn’t even notice Kat. She strained her ears, listening to the familiar crash and slash of Dante’s weapons on armor or flesh. Most of all, she listened for Dante’s voice as he cried out in pain or rage. A frightening amount of blood rained down around her, but she didn’t know whose it was.

Then, she heard Dante scream. 

Pazuzu landed hard on the cracked parking lot, one wing dragging. 

Her heart stopped.

Snared in his talons, bleeding heavily, was Dante. His shoulder hung from the socket, muscles torn, and Ebony was crushed in his broken fingers. His torso no longer aligned properly, his bones shattered, and Pazuzu’s talons were speared deeply between his ribs. Dante’s neck was twisted at a sharp angle, momentarily paralyzing him as his healing factor worked desperately to mend him. His sword had disappeared back into the sanctuary of his body. She didn’t know how Pazuzu had managed to get the upper hand on him, but something had gone horribly wrong while they battled in the sky. 

Pazuzu’s eyes flicked over the assembly of demons that had been drawn to the blood. “Brothers,” he rumbled in a voice like grating stones, “come with me and we shall take back this planet.”

They chattered eagerly, growling in wordless agreement. One licked at Dante’s blood on the pavement.

Pazuzu spotted Kat and his eyes narrowed. “Shall I kill the little girl?”

Dante couldn’t respond, still trapped in his grasp, broken.

Kat gripped Ivory a little tighter. She knew she didn’t stand a chance at fighting Pazuzu, but she would use the gun with her last breath if he attacked her. Right now, it seemed her life was a passing fancy of the demon’s. If she was quiet enough, he might move on without touching her.

Pazuzu rumbled deep in his chest. His wings bunched and he took off in a gust of freezing stinging air. 

When Kat looked up, all that remained of the fight was some broken concrete and a perilous amount of Dante’s blood. She jerked to her feet, rushed to her car, and slammed herself behind the wheel. She drove at breakneck speed through the city to the abandoned warehouse they had chosen as a base for the few people that wanted to help them fight the demons. She knew she didn’t have the strength to rescue Dante alone and she would need all the help she could get.

Kat barreled through the door, still dressed in her pajamas with Ivory clutched in her hands. A few amateur demon hunters that Dante trained half-heartedly when he felt like it were practicing their swordplay against training dummies. They looked up when Kat entered, but sneered at her. They had only joined because of Dante, following his strength rather than her brains. Kat’s heart hammered against her ribs, concerned to be alone with them without Dante’s shadow to protect her. She knew the evils men were capable of firsthand. 

“I need your help,” she said breathlessly. “Dante’s been taken.”

The four of them froze in their training.

“What? How?” the first demanded.

“I bet you got him caught,” the second snapped.

“He was probably looking at those legs,” the third said and licked his lips.

Kat repressed a shudder.

The fourth tilted his sword over his shoulder. “What happened?”

“Pazuzu came out of hiding and attacked him,” she explained. “I didn’t see everything. I was busy with the lesser demons.”

“The lesser demons,” the third snorted disdainfully. 

“As if you could kill a demon, little girl,” the second grumbled.

Kat’s fingers tightened around Ivory.

It was then that the fourth noticed Dante’s pale gun wrapped in her hands. “Where did you get that?”

Kat clutched it. “Dante gave her to me,” she explained.

Rage clouded the fourth’s face. “He gave you one of his weapons, but he didn’t share with us?”

Kat leveled the weapon at him, but didn’t put her finger on the trigger yet. “Back off,” she snarled. “There’s no time for this. We don’t know what Pazuzu is planning.”

“There could be a horde coming for us at this very moment,” squeaked the first trainee.

The others murmured fearful agreements.

“No,” Kat interrupted. “Dante won’t reveal this location to him, if that’s even what Pazuzu wants. Pazuzu will rip Dante to pieces before he’ll give us up.”

“Then we have plenty of time to make an escape,” the fourth trainee said. He dropped his weapon and left without further response. 

A moment later, the other three followed and Kat found herself standing alone in the warehouse. Her throat closed and tears burned in her eyes, but she blinked them hastily away. She couldn’t fall apart now. Dante was badly injured and he had been taken captive. She had to do something to help him or at least die trying. Kat opened the locker where she kept spare clothes, extra cans of her wards, and tucked Ivory into her waistband. She held no illusions that she could take down Pazuzu, but she hoped she would be able to help Dante enough to get him out.

Kat had pre-prepared a tracking spell and wasted no time using it now. Unfortunately, it would only track a full-blooded demon, not Dante. 

It took the better part of half an hour to drive to Pazuzu’s nest. In the remains of a tall half-demolished building, on the highest possible floor, the sphere of bloody energy swirled. It seemed too small to be able to contain a monster like Pazuzu, but Kat had seen demons take smaller forms than this, like the one that had lived in the body of her average foster father. Kat parked her car under an overhang of rubble so that it couldn’t be easily spotted and crept towards the building. 

Inside, it was a mess of ruin and despair not unlike the original Limbo. Gripping Ivory tightly, she jumped unsteadily from the broken staircase to the landing a little higher up. A small demon inhabiting the shape of a cat hissed and bared teeth too big for its body. Kat took swift aim and fired. The bullet ripped the tiny demon apart, silencing whatever alarm it was going to sound. She stepped over its carcass and made her way down the dark hallway. Part of it had collapsed and she inched along the wall to continue. 

Every turn had another obstacle to prevent her, but she couldn’t give up now. The staircase had fallen away again, but the spell beckoned her upwards to the higher floors where she had seen the red nest. She jumped the dangerous gap and the platform of rebar and concrete gave out beneath her feet. Kat fought back a scream and clung to the rubble, fingers tearing as she scrabbled over the step and onto steadier ground. Her heart jack-hammered in her chest. How had Dante made this look so easy?

…

Dante had never been afraid when facing demons. (The very first time, when he was only eight and still in the orphanage, excluded.) Now, he felt the unfamiliar stirring of fear slide along his spine and settle in his stomach like a cold iron ball. 

His neck cracked and popped as his healing factor desperately sought to mend the damage to him. He had never faced a demon like Pazuzu before. It was obvious the creature was old and tough, but not as strong as the demons Dante had previously fought. Pazuzu had survived this long by being clever and Dante hadn’t expected that. While most demons like Mundus laughed in the face of Dante’s human-shaped body and underestimated him, Pazuzu instead gouged his claws directly into the weakness of such a form. 

Pazuzu had snapped his neck, effectively crippling him. Dante could still feel the debilitating agony, hear the crack of his bones, and then the panic as he realized he could no longer so much as wiggle his fingers. Though Dante’s healing would repair such an injury albeit slower than it healed broken bones and slashed skin, it gave Pazuzu all the time he needed to take Dante prisoner. The nest hummed all around him with bloody power, churning like the pit of worry in Dante’s stomach. 

The only thing he was grateful for was that Kat hadn’t been taken with him. Wherever she was, at least she was safe. Dante knew he could get himself out of this, he just didn’t know how long it would take. He hoped Kat could keep herself safe behind her wards until he returned to her.

Abruptly, Dante’s broken fingers twitched. The pain was welcome compared to the shocking numbness of his severed spinal cord. Weakly, Dante curled his hand into a fist and then stretched it out. Though excruciating, movement could sometimes help him to heal quicker. He breathed raggedly, lungs crushed behind the broken cage of his ribs, and fought to maintain his consciousness. Once it returned, he occupied himself looking around the room and at the chains that bound him.

The chains were anchored to the ceiling at sharp angles, keeping his arms stretched in separate directions over his head. His dislocated shoulder throbbed, but he still couldn’t feel his legs to take the weight off it. Fluorescent tubes that flickered annoyingly lit the room. This was kind of how Dante viewed hospitals, but with a few more hot nurses and a few less spiders scurrying around his legs. With a sickening pop, his crushed ribs snapped back into place. He sucked in a greedy grateful breath, but still couldn’t feel more than his broken hand.

His spine was healing too slowly, but he forced himself to breathe through it. If he freaked out and struggled, he would simply undo everything that had already healed. Dante breathed in the smells of mildew, rot, and his own blood. He wanted to shake his head, but couldn’t. He thought of Kat’s perfume, scented with plum blossoms, and the natural smell of her skin and hair. Just yesterday, she had baked cookies and filled their crappy apartment with the aroma of deliciousness. 

With a snap, Dante’s vertebrae realigned and feeling flooded through his body. He gasped in pain, surprised just how much damage had been inflicted on him. He could finally feel more than his dislocated shoulder, broken fingers, and crushed ribcage. His lower leg was broken and his ankle was shattered which had probably happened when Pazuzu dropped him into this little room from a great height. He tried to find a position to stand in that wouldn’t aggravate any of his injuries even further, but it was impossible. 

He needed his hands and shoulders more than his leg so Dante forced himself to stand. Once the weight was removed from his shoulder, it cracked back into place and began to mend, but he could feel it crawling. The damage was too great for his body to mend all at once. He was going to need some rest and some food as soon as this was over. His fingers slowly knit back together, but there was no strength in them. Dante took his weight off his broken leg. 

He studied the ceiling and the moorings that held the chains above him. If only those damn lights would stop flickering like that, it was just so annoying. Bracing himself for the pain that was sure to come, Dante pulled against the chain with his good arm and shoulder. He didn’t have much strength yet, but the screws groaned. It wouldn’t take much to pull the chains from the ceiling. How he was going to get them off completely was another matter entirely. 

Dante waited a little while longer, hoping some strength would return, but it didn’t. Worse yet, it seemed that he had managed to exhaust his healing factor. He could barely feel it working at his shattered leg. He couldn’t afford to wait much longer though. He didn’t know what Pazuzu had planned for him and he didn’t want to find out. 

Dante gripped the chain in his good hand and heaved. The screws popped off easily and the chain crashed down noisily, frightening away the spiders. It was heavier than he expected nearly jerked him to his knees. Unfortunately, the other chain still held him and his shoulder cracked painfully in the healing socket. He gritted his teeth, forced his aching fingers around the chain, and pulled with all his strength. It didn’t budge. Breathing hard, Dante scrutinized the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, he realized there was a charm for containing demons built into the iron screws. Well, wasn’t this just the perfect time for his demonic heritage to get in his way?

Dante reached over his shoulder, the chain pulling and rattling as he moved, and managed to pull his sword from its shelter on his back. He thrust it into the ceiling near the chain’s anchors and wriggled it. Little pieces of plaster and chunks of wood rained down on him. The chain could contain a demon, but the ceiling could not. When the second chain fell, Dante knelt down so it wouldn’t rip on his injured shoulder. 

After a moment of deep breathing, he pulled his hands into his lap to examine the chains. There was nothing he could do to free his wrists from the iron shackles. They needed a key and he had no skills with locks, but he could shorten the chain to make his life a little easier. Bracing the tip of his sword a few links from his wrist, he pushed his weight on it. The demon-killing sword had no trouble cutting through. Then, he turned his attention to the other chain. Since it was charmed to hold a demon, the entire length was immune to his sword. He tried to wriggle his wrist out, but it just wouldn’t fit. 

Dante eased back to his feet, but his broken leg protested. The chain dragged behind him noisily as he slipped out of the flickering room and into the hallway. He could smell the stink of Pazuzu’s breath. The demon was close by and Dante wasn’t in any condition to fight him, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t have a choice. He made his way slowly down the stairs, leaning on his sword for support. (3)

…

The ground rumbled beneath Kat’s boots and several bits of broken concrete fell away. She flattened herself against the remaining wall, trying to steady her breathing. She was afraid. She had never faced a demon alone before. She wasn’t invincible like Dante. If she made one wrong move, she would be done for. Cautiously, she crept around the corner and peeked into the room. There was a demon strung up by chains, anchored beneath a flickering light. It wasn’t Dante. Relief coursed through her, but the fear returned after. 

Kat slipped past the cell, up another flight of stairs, and found more of the same. The tracking spell she was using told her that Pazuzu was up ahead, but Dante could be anywhere in the wrecked building. For all she knew, Pazuzu could be dining on him right now. Kat pressed her lips together and slipped further down the hallway. Now, she could hear Pazuzu’s wet raspy breathing. She swallowed and nervously peeked around the threshold. The demon had his back to her and didn’t appear to notice her presence, but it was eating something. Kat scanned the room for signs that it was devouring Dante, but she saw nothing of his.

A warm hand closed on her shoulder. Fighting back a scream that would alert Pazuzu, she whirled around and rammed Ivory into the stomach of her assailant. It grunted in pain and a familiar hand closed over her wrist and the gun.

“Whoa, it’s me.”

“Dante,” she gasped.

He looked terrible. His neck was circled with dark bruises, his face was battered, and he was leaning on his sword. A long chain dragged behind him, laced with old magic for containing demons. Kat quickly slipped under his arm and he let his heavy sword vanish back into his body. Dante leaned on her heavily as she helped him down the hall the way she had come. Once they were far enough from where Pazuzu was eating, Kat helped ease him to the ground and set to work picking the lock on his chains.

“What are you doing here?” Dante demanded. “You should be safe somewhere.”

“I had to come for you,” she insisted as the spelled chain popped free. The skin beneath was chafed and burned and didn’t heal as she examined the wound.

“No, you didn’t,” Dante continued. “You could be killed here.”

“You’re not healing,” Kat whispered, cradling his wrist in her palms.

“I know,” Dante said. “That bastard snapped my neck. My body is doing all it can with what it has left.”

“Snapped your neck?” Kat repeated in shock. She looked at the bruises surrounding his throat and her hands fluttered as though she wanted to touch him. “Oh god, are you okay?”

“Almost,” he assured her, “But I’ll be better when I get you out of here.”

Kat nodded in agreement. She unlocked the second shackle and then got to her feet. She stuffed Ivory into the waistband of her shorts. Dante accepted her hand and she pulled him to his feet. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she supported him as they made their way as quickly as possible down the stairs. The sounds of Pazuzu eating followed them. 

Then, they turned a corner and found themselves face to face with a lesser demon. It was just as surprised to see them and its toothy mouth opened in an ear-shattering shriek. Dante conjured his sword and slashed the demon in half. The weight of the weapon and the suddenness of his strike dragged them both forward, but Kat kept him standing. It was already too late. The walls sprouted with countless large naked eyes that all focused on them like laser sights. Above them, the ceiling rained little pieces of plaster as Pazuzu raged towards them.

“Go!” Dante ordered and pushed Kat away from him. “Run! Get out of here!” 

Shocked by his violent shove, she stumbled away from him. Without her support, Dante’s broken leg gave out and he crashed into the eye-covered wall on his bad shoulder. A yelp of pain escaped him. Kat closed the space between them. She braced her body against his on the side where his leg was broken, her arm cinched tight around his waist. 

“No,” she protested. “I won’t leave you.”

“I can’t protect you,” Dante insisted and shoved at her shoulder. “Run away from here!”

Kat hung onto him.

Pazuzu appeared at the mouth of the hallway. Though he was smaller than Kat remembered, he was no less monstrous. “The little girl,” he growled out, puzzled.

“Shit!” Dante swore. “Hold on to me.” 

Then, his Demon Pull snapped out, snared one of the demons that was gathering on the floor below, and they were hastily pulled away from Pazuzu. Kat left her stomach behind in the sudden flight. The ground was approaching fast and she felt Dante tense in preparation for their landing. His broken leg would probably break more on contact. Kat wasn’t going to let that happen. She stretched out her legs, but kept her knees bent to absorb the impact. They slammed down with surprising force, but Kat prevented Dante’s broken leg from striking the floor. They stumbled a few steps before Dante leaned on her enough to steady himself. 

“Are you okay?” he asked the top of her head.

“Fine,” Kat said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be your leg.”

He exhaled sharply.

The Demon Pull lashed out again, broke through a window, and hooked on something Kat couldn’t see. A moment later, they were pulled out after it and landed in the flattened lot of rubble below. Kat’s ankle complained as she tripped over rebar, but she held Dante steady.

Behind them, Pazuzu unfurled his wings and swooped after them. Shrieking, the hordes of small demons could not follow. Pazuzu landed noisily in front of them. He eyed them hungrily, his lion’s maw dripping blood and drool. “I underestimated the Nephilim and the little girl,” he murmured and the stink of his breath washed over Kat. She almost retched and pressed her nose into Dante’s side. “But I will cripple you better,” he said to Dante and then turned his gaze to Kat, “and I will kill you now.”

Kat tightened her arms around Dante’s waist. Ivory dug into her belly as she moved, a cold reminder that she wasn’t helpless. She gritted her teeth. She forced herself to examine Pazuzu, seeking out a vulnerability that Dante wouldn’t take the time to see. She could already feel his muscles coiling, searching for the strength to fight back. Then, she saw a flash of movement between Pazuzu’s legs. Unbidden, her eyes went to it and realized that he didn’t have any real genitalia. Instead, a writhing snake sprouted between his legs. Its eyes gleamed in response to Dante’s demon weaponry. 

“Dante,” Kat whispered.

“What?” he snapped, weighing his thrown weapon in his hand.

“There,” she said, “between his legs.”

“He’s naked, what about it?”

“No, look closer,” she insisted.

Dante paused. “Great,” he said suddenly, “so he does have a weakness.” The weapon in his hand reshaped, taking the form of his red demonic axe. Unfortunately, it was too heavy for him to fight with in this state and Dante cursed again. 

“I’ll support you,” Kat promised.

“That’s not really what I’m worried about,” he said under his breath.

In a great surge of his wings, Pazuzu lunged at them. His mouth gaped open, a feral snarl tearing from him. Dante dove to the side, pulling Kat with him. He grunted in pain as they rolled across the rubble. When they came to a stop, Kat immediately got to her feet and dragged Dante with her. He hopped unsteadily on his good leg and then leaned on her. 

“Trust me,” Kat urged him. “I’m holding you up.”

Dante finally let her support his full weight, leaning into her with as much force as he would if he was able to stand. The axe weighed heavy in his hand and he hurled his it. Kat compensated for the motion, holding him up, as the gleaming bloody head buried itself into the vulnerability between Pazuzu’s legs. The demon howled in agony, a sound that shook Kat to her bones. Cleaved open, blood streamed from between his bowed legs. 

Pazuzu lowered his head and barreled towards them. Kat pulled Dante into the lurching run, but Pazuzu’s wings gave him an advantage. Dante’s whip snapped out, snared something on the building above them, and they were jerked into the air, but it wasn’t fast enough. Pazuzu’s talons raked into Dante from the side, caught between his ribs, and ripped him from Kat’s arms. She hit the dusty ground hard, the wind knocked from her lungs.

Pazuzu had Dante pinned, strings of blood-tinged drool dripping down on his upturned face. Dante slashed upwards with his sword, cleaving at Pazuzu’s hulking body, but Pazuzu bore down on him harder. Dante’s ribcage cracked again, spearing fresh agony through him. Kat rolled onto her stomach, gasping, and felt the reminder of Ivory pressing into her belly. She grabbed the gun and braced herself. She squeezed the trigger and the bullet ripped through Pazuzu’s gaping wound. The snake thrashed as it died.

Pazuzu’s eyes whirled to her, glazed with rage and pain. “The little girl,” he snarled.

Dante thrust his sword upwards with all his remaining strength. The blade exploded out of the back of Pazuzu’s head. The demon’s eyes darkened and then went black. Very slowly, it dissolved into dust and blew away on a gust of sharp wind. Dante’s sword dropped from his hand and he lay panting on the ground. Kat lurched to her feet and rushed to his side. Blood oozed in a slow pool around his hip where Pazuzu’s talons had carved deep into him. Kat pressed her hands there and he hissed in pain. 

“I can’t believe you killed that asshole,” Dante breathed out.

Kat regarded him. “Why are you surprised? I told you that I killed my bastard demon foster father.”

Dante reached to trace her cheekbone. “You’re capable of anything, aren’t you?”

“Only if someone hurts me,” she said, “or someone I care about.”

A small smile pulled at his lips before he winced. “Ugh, is this was it feels like to have to heal at a normal pace?”

Kat lifted her hands with care, but the wound had begun to stitch at the edges. Despite how exhausted his healing factor was, it would still kick in to save his life. “Let’s get you home,” she murmured. 

Dante let her pull him to his feet and support him as they hobbled together to her car. She eased him into the passenger seat, recalling the time he had done the same for her with even more gentleness. She circled the car and slipped behind the wheel. A few minutes into the drive, Dante collapsed against the window and closed his eyes. Kat drove in silence, her hands shaking minutely as she realized how close to death they had both come. She didn’t think she had ever been happier to see their shabby apartment building. 

Kat woke Dante with a gentle shake and then helped him out of the car. They limped inside together, rode the elevator to the top floor, and Kat opened the door. She hadn’t remembered to lock it after their hasty exit that morning, but the wards were still intact. She would still be wearing her pajamas if she hadn’t stopped at their headquarters. Dante sighed in relief as she eased him down on the couch. 

“Can I help you?” she asked. “Can I do something about… this?” She gestured helplessly to his battered body.

“You can take your clothes off and cuddle up with me. Skin to skin contact can help me heal faster,” he said.

Kat nodded and began pulling off her sweater.

“I was kidding,” Dante said, smirking. 

Kat would have slapped him if she thought he could take it, but she really didn’t want to inflict any more pain on him right now. 

“My healing will take care of it,” he assured her and groaned as the wound in his side slowly closed, “eventually. What I really need is some food.”

Kat nodded since that actually made sense. She went into their messy kitchen, rummaged through the fridge, found nothing, and then pulled a frozen pizza out of the freezer. She popped it into the oven, poured a tall glass of orange juice, and carried it back to Dante. She knew when people donated their blood they were supposed to drink juice to help replenish their bodies. Dante had certainly lost a lot of blood and she figured it couldn’t hurt. Dante accepted the glass, drank half of it in one swallow, and then held it to the bruises on his throat.

“Man, everything hurts,” he muttered.

“The pizza will be ready soon,” Kat told him. “Maybe you should take a bath to get cleaned up. I can put some healing herbs and stuff in the water.”

Dante sighed, rolled his shoulder experimentally, and winced. “I guess it can’t hurt.”

Kat rushed off and he heard the pipes protest as water rushed through them. A few minutes later, the timer went off in the kitchen and Kat hurried back out to remove the pizza from the oven. She took a slice for herself and piled the rest on a plate for Dante. She sat beside him on the couch, watching as he ate slowly. His throat worked hard, bobbing beneath the collar of bruises. It must have hurt badly since he didn’t inhale his food. She got up to check on the bath and returned to help him walk to the bathroom. 

His shirt and jeans were virtually ruined, torn and stained. Kat’s own clothes were wrecked from handling and supporting him. She helped him out of his clothes and toed off her heavy boots. She had to step into the tub to ease him into it and Dante sank into the warm water with a hiss. His blood clouded the water, turning it pale pink, and she examined his wounds. They were healing, but very slowly. She knelt beside the tub, unwilling to leave him. 

“You can get in with me,” Dante offered as he watched goose bumps rise on her arms.

Kat shook her head. His ribs were crushed and they rose jerkily with his breath. “I’ll just hurt you,” she said. 

Dante tugged her arm wordlessly.

She looked up at him and his eyes were soft with all the words he wouldn’t say. With a sigh, she stripped off her clothes and stepped in with him. His bare skin was soft against her own, new and sensitive as he healed. She let her head rest gingerly beneath his collarbone and listened to his heartbeat. She was unspeakably comforted by the sound of his life and absently stroked a scar that ran just over his heart. Dante coiled his arm around her and cradled her close with a sigh. 

“You know,” he murmured, “no one’s ever taken care of me like this before.”

Kat felt his leg pop as it healed slowly. “I doubt anyone has ever really had to. You usually heal so quickly.”

He breathed out shakily. “True,” he murmured. “I’m going to have to be more careful. I don’t ever want to go through this again.”

Kat smoothed her hand over his skin absently. 

“But I could get used to this,” he confessed. 

She tilted her chin to look up at him, but his gaze was distant. “What?” she asked and gently touched his chin.

He looked down at her and smiled. He just smiled.

Kat’s heart warmed as he dipped his head to kiss her forehead. 

Dante settled deeper into the warm water, curling his toes experimentally. He mumbled quietly as the bones popped back into place and his skin knitted back together. Kat lay against him, curled safely in his arms, even long after he had finished healing. She had come so close to losing him, something she had never thought possible. She figured she would be killed before he ever came close, but she realized now that he could heal but he wasn’t invincible or invulnerable. He could be broken. 

“Dante?” she whispered.

He didn’t answer.

A quick glance at his face revealed that he had fallen asleep. He was probably exhausted. Kat shifted enough to press her lips to his cheek. 

Then, quietly, she confessed, “I love you, Dante.”

**X:The:X:Heart:X**

(1) This exchange was inspired by a scene in the awesome movie, ‘Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man,’ in which Marlboro Man tries to teach Harley how to shoot a little better. Unfortunately for all involved, there is nothing that can improve Harley’s marksmanship. 

(2) Pazuzu is the King of the Wind Demons in both Assyrian and Babylonian culture. He represents the southwestern wind that bears droughts and storms. Pazuzu was known for bringing locust during the rainy season and then famine during the dry season. He is often depicted with a combination of human and animal parts—most commonly with a human body, a lion’s head, and two pairs of wings. He also, oddly enough, is an evil that prevents evil. 

(3) The situation Dante finds himself in here is based on the teaser trailer found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIFRl1Fo-U. It looks like DMC might have originally been more psychological, kind of a DMC meets Silent Hill thing, and I kind of wish they had kept that idea. 

Questions, comments, concerns?


End file.
